Friendship of Strangers
by sezza43
Summary: After 'Monsters', some news causes Maria to take up residence in the Evans's household. (M&M, A&I) Complete
1. Staying at the Evans's

**Chapter Two _(Getting settled)_**

Maria took a few shirts from her bag and placed then into the large wooden chest of drawers that was set in the corner of the spare room. The room itself was nice, it wasn't like hers but it would do for the next week. The walls were a light purple while the curtains were a contrast of dark purple. The bed was a Queen size with a light purple blanket and dark purple pillows to match the walls and curtains.  The carpeting was a nice cream color and at the foot of the bed was a dark purple mat. The chest of drawers was set on one corner of the room while a desk sat in the corner beside it. The window was in the middle of another wall and saw into the front yard. A dressing table sitting against the wall opposite the bed finished the room nicely. 

She placed a few more articles of clothing into the chest of drawers then heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she said, going back to the bed to close her bag. She looked up and saw Diane Evans standing in the frame. She walked in and sat down beside Maria on the bed.

"How do you like the room?" she asked with a smile.

"It's great, I really like it." Maria told her politely. "While you're here, I just want to thank you for letting me stay here. I know it's not easy letting a stranger into your home."

Diane laughed. "Nonsense, you are a friend of Isabel's therefore not a stranger. Also it's a pleasure to have you dear, I know that you are going through a hard time at the moment so if there is anything you need, you only have to ask. For the rest of this week you are an extended part of this family. I want you to feel welcome here. Now, do you need any help?"

Maria shook her head. "No I'm fine, I just have to unpack my make-up and things like that then I'm all set."

Smiling, Diane looked around the room for a second before turning back to Maria. "So how did you and Isabel become friends?"

Maria's eyes widened. How was she supposed to answer that? Oh yes Mrs Evans, well my best friend was shot and then your son healed her, from there your daughter dream-walked me then we just sort of…you know…got to talking. No she couldn't say that. "Ah well, Max sort of met my best friend Liz Parker and they became friends. Max then introduced Isabel and I as well as Michael and we all sort of…connected, so to speak."

"Oh that's wonderful," Diane exclaimed. "You know, you are the first person that Isabel has brought home that I have liked, out of her friends I mean. All of the other girls seemed a little… stuck up for my tastes. I think you'll be good for her."

"Thank you," Maria replied. 

Diane hugged her then stood and headed for the door. "Remember, if you need anything…" she trailed off and Maria nodded. 

Once she left the room Isabel entered and sat on the bed. "What did my Mom want?"

"She just wanted to help me settle in." Maria told her then furrowed her brows. "Isabel? Have you--have you ever had a real girlfriend before? I don't mean like the girls you hang out with at school, I mean like a best friend, like how Liz and I are?"

Isabel bit her lip and shook her head. "No I haven't. I sort of hoped that this would be my chance." She smiled then gave a small laugh. "There goes my Ice Queen persona. Don't tell anyone I actually have a soft side okay? My reputation will be ruined."

Maria laughed and made a criss cross motion over her heart. "I won't I promise." She calmed down and smiled. "I'd really like to be your friend Isabel, but let's just see how this week goes first. You never know, we may just want to kill each other by the end of it."

*~*~*~*

Michael sat in the Evans's kitchen the next morning nursing a glass of milk. He had stayed over last night. He'd had a run in with Hank and couldn't stay so he did what he usually did in that circumstance; he came here and slept on the floor in Max's room. It was his sanctuary. Bringing the glass to his lips, he watched as Maria walked into the kitchen and headed for the glass cabinet, obviously not having seen him. 

He had to remember how to breathe when he saw her. She was wearing a light blue silk slip that went to mid-thigh. Her hair was brushed back and she looked beautiful. Michael then gave himself a mental slap. Beautiful? Where did that come from? When she went to the fridge he announced his presence. "Morning." He smirked when she almost dropped the milk from shock.

"What are you doing?" she asked when she turned around. She held her hand over her heart to stop it from beating so fast then she looked down at what she was wearing and groaned. Did he have to see her like this? Her hair wasn't done and she wasn't even wearing make up. He must have thought she looked ugly. She then furrowed her brows. Why did she care what he thought of her anyway?

Michael smirked again and gave an amused smile when it looked like she was having an internal conversation with herself. "Having a glass of milk, what does it look like?" 

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No I meant what are you doing here? In the Evans's kitchen?" 

"I stayed over last night." He shrugged and finished up the last of the milk in his glass. 

Maria gave him a disgusted look when he slurped the milk into his mouth. She had to admit though, he had a pretty sexy mouth and she couldn't stop herself from thinking how badly she wanted to be the one to lick the milk that had stayed on his top lip. "How come I didn't see you?" 

"Bad eyesight?" he deadpanned. 

"Funny," she said sarcastically. "No really." 

Michael gave a non-committal shrug. "I didn't show up until late and I slept in Max's room." 

Maria nodded slowly then an evil smile crossed over her features. Now it was her turn to play. "Oh, that explains a lot." 

"What?" Michael asked, confusion marring his features. 

"You know, you, Max, sleeping together." Maria explained. Michael glared at her and was about to make a witty comeback when Isabel walked in and headed for the fridge. 

"Morning," she said grabbing a bottle of water then heading into the living room. 

Maria followed her. "Isn't that weird?" she asked.

Isabel's forehead creased. "Isn't what weird?"

"Seeing Michael in your kitchen when you didn't even know he stayed the night." Maria said waving her hands. 

Isabel shook her head and took a sip of her water before sitting on the sofa. "No it's normal. Michael usually comes here after having a run in with Hank, his foster father, and sleeps in Max's room. He's been coming here like that ever since…well ever since I can remember." She glanced at Maria who now had a far away look on her face. "What I just told you stays between us okay, Michael doesn't need anyone pitying him, he doesn't want it either."

Maria nodded but still couldn't help feeling bad for the spiky haired alien sitting in the kitchen. She couldn't explain it but since that night at the Crash festival, when he placed his hand on her chest for her fake 'healing', she had felt something towards him. An attraction if you will. She was pulled from her thoughts when Isabel asked her a question.

"So do you want to spend the day shopping? There's that new place in the Mall that opened up a few days ago that's supposed to be really good. We could go and have lunch too."

*~*~*~*

Back in the kitchen Michael was still sitting at the table but now had his head rested on it. He was berating himself for letting Maria get to him the way he had. Ever since the night of the Crash festival he had felt something for her, he wasn't sure what but it was something. Something more than the hatred he was meant to feel for a simple human girl. Being too wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't see Max walk in. 

"What's wrong?" Max asked and Michael's head shot up. 

"Nothing, nothing's wrong," Michael said standing and heading for the living room. "Where are the girls?"

Max sat on the one-seater sofa and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on. "Isabel said something about shopping. I think they're getting ready." 

Michael nodded. "Oh," Max turned to his best friend with a knowing smile on his face. "What?" Michael asked.

"Nothing, it's just I heard you in the kitchen mumbling about how Maria was getting to you. You like her." Max said with a smile, loving the way Michael was squirming in his seat.

Michael rolled his eyes and gave a small forced laughed. "That's crazy, I don't like Deluca, nor will I ever." He said although his mind was calling him a liar. Max just nodded condescendingly and Michael threw a cushion at him. "Shut up Max." 

*~*~*~*

Maria walked out of the dressing room and twirled around so Isabel could see. "What about this?" They had been shopping for two hours and neither had found anything they particularly liked. They were in their seventh store and Isabel had made Maria try on a pair of tight bootleg black pants with a red sleeveless top that showed a lot of cleavage and stomach. 

Isabel clapped her hands. "Finally I think we found something for you. It looks great. All you need now are some shoes to go with it." Maria nodded and went back into the dressing room to get changed back into the clothes she had worn.

"Maria? Can I ask you something?" When she heard Maria make a muffled sound that she took as a yes, she continued. "Why don't you usually wear clothes like this? I mean the clothes you have are alright but…well I was just wondering."

Maria walked back out of the room with the clothes she was going to buy hanging over her wrist. She shrugged as the two went to go pay for the items. "I'm not sure. I guess I've just had no one to really go shopping with before to tell me what looks good and what doesn't. My mom is usually too busy and Liz isn't the mall type."

The lady at the register handed Maria her receipt and the two headed out of the store and towards to food court. "We should do this every Saturday then, go shopping and have lunch. We could buy a new outfit every time and I could be your clothing guru or something. The girls I usually come here with never want to tell me the truth about what looks good and what doesn't. If something looks great they'll say it doesn't just because they are jealous then come back and buy it for themselves. I gave up on them."

Maria smiled. "I'd love to and I promise to always tell you the truth." Isabel nodded and the two headed off to buy some lunch.

*~*~*~*

Later that night Alex stood at the front door of the Evans's waiting for someone to answer. The door opened and Max's dad stood there. "Can I help you?"

"Umm, is Maria here?" Alex asked nervously. Phillip Evans nodded and stepped back, allowing Alex to enter. 

He closed the door and started to walk down the hall. "I'll just go and get her for you. You can wait in the living room if you like." Alex nodded and stepped into the room where he saw both Michael and Max watching TV. 

Michael looked at him with a scowl. "What are you doing here?" he asked rudely. 

Alex shuffled on his feet. "I heard that Maria was staying here, I just wanted to see her, I'll be gone soon." 

Before Michael could say anything else, Maria bounced down the hall and jumped into Alex's arms. The two laughed which caused jealousy to run through Michael's body. He wanted to pound Alex for holding Maria the way that only he should be allowed. When Alex kissed Maria's cheek he had to stop himself from running over and forcibly pulling the two apart. "Would you take that hugging crap elsewhere," he said irritably. 

Maria glared at him then turned back to Alex and smiled. "Let's go to my room."

Michael's jaw dropped when she suggested this and he stood. There was no way he was going to allow Alex alone with Maria in her room. "You're not allowed boys in your room. It's a rule, isn't it Max," he said and kicked Max in the shin. 

Max was trying his hardest to conceal his growing laughter. Michael's jealous actions were all a bit much. He had never in his life seen his friend get so worked up over a girl before. He rubbed his shin and decided to have a bit of fun. "I don't know what you're talking about, I've never heard of that rule." 

Michael shot his fiercest glare at him and Max actually thought that he heard Michael growl. Maria laughed and shook her head then pulled Alex towards her room. Michael watched the two go down the hall then faced Max, ready to yell at him when he saw that Max was practically rolling on the ground with laughter. "What?" 

"You're… you're… jealous," He managed to wheeze out between gasps. "That's too… funny," he said and started all over again. 

Michael was getting annoyed and grabbed the same cushion he had hit Max with once before and hurled it at his head. "Shut up Max!" he yelled which only made Max laugh harder.

TBC…


	2. Getting Settled

**Title**: Friendship of Strangers

**Author**: Sarah (aka sezza43)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Roswell; it's characters, Charmed or Hockey. I do however own this fic.

**Rating**: PG-13 for some sexual references.

**Pairing**: Michael/Maria, Alex/Isabel with some minor Max/Liz

**Spoilers**: Anything before the episode 'Monsters' and some references to what happened in '285 south' and 'Independence day'.

**Summary**: After 'Monsters' some news causes Maria to take up residence in the Evans's household. 

**Author's note**: I was inspired to write this after watching 'Monsters'. I wondered why the writers gave up on the Maria/Isabel friendship when clearly they had started one so I took matters into my own hands and this is what came out of it. It follows all the story lines up to 'Monsters' then goes off into the world we all like to call the AU. Anything after 'Monsters' can be disregarded and forgotten. Chapter 1 takes place directly after the scene at the school. Oh, one more thing, I'm not sure if there really is a Kumar's Hill in Roswell, I made it up.

**Distribution**: Candy is Dandy, Belit's site, Susan's site, Ally's site and Fanfiction.net. If anyone else wants it, all you have to do is ask.

**Email**: sezza43@hotmail.com

This is dedicated to those who wished to have seen Maria and Isabel build a stronger friendship in the show 

**Chapter One _(Staying Over the Evans's)_**

"Do they not eat at home?" Maria asked when she saw Isabel, Max and Michael enter the Crashdown and take a seat at their regular booth, which also happened to be in her section. She looked at her friend with her best pout.

Liz laughed, shook her head and gave Maria a slight push in their direction. "No, it's your section, you take the order. Anyway, you have to become friends with them sometime."

Glaring at her, Maria huffed and headed towards the alien trio. She took her order pad from her apron and flipped it open to an empty page. "Welcome to the Crashdown, what can I get you?"

"Three cherry cokes and three burgers and fries thanks," Max said, giving her a huge smile. 

Maria glanced at him after writing the order down and realised that the smile was not directed to her, but to over her shoulder towards Liz. She rolled her eyes and hid a smile. "I'll be right back with your drinks." With that she left the table and headed for the drink machine. 

Michael watched her leave and shook his head. "She can't be trusted," he said, getting back to their earlier conversation. Since the incident with Valenti, the three had been talking about Maria and whether or not she was completely trustworthy. 

"Yes she can Michael, after all, look at how she helped us today. If it wasn't for her lying we would probably be in the hands of the FBI right now." Max said, shifting his eyes away from Liz who was taking someone else's order.

Michael scowled at him. "If it wasn't for her being all nervous around the Sheriff we wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place." He crossed his arms over his chest and sat back, knowing that he had won the conversation.

Shaking his head, Max looked at his sister. "Little help?"

Isabel shrugged. "On some level I agree with Michael," Michael smiled at that and Isabel gave a half roll of her eyes before focusing on her fingernails. "I said on some level Michael, on the other I guess that she did help us and I don't know… maybe we should just give her a chance. She doesn't seem that bad."

"I still think we need to do something about it." Michael said, squaring his jaw.

Isabel stopped inspecting her manicure. "Like what? Kill her?" she said, referring to the earlier statement he had made at school. 

Narrowing his eyes at the taller blonde, he gave her a look of annoyance. "No, not kill her, just shut her up or something. One of us must have the power to do that at least."

Before anyone else could comment, Maria came back with their drinks. She placed Max and Isabel's in front of them but before she could put the other down, someone grabbed her arm. The four teens looked up and saw the Sheriff looking at Maria with a frown. He took off his sunglasses. "Maria can I talk to you for a moment?" He glanced at the other three sitting in the booth then back at her. "In private please?"

Maria nodded and motioned toward the back room. "You can go wait in there, I just have to finish up here." He nodded and headed into the back room. 

Maria placed Michael's drink in front of him and was about to walk off when Michael grabbed her arm tightly. "If you say one word to Valenti about us you'll regret it, do you understand?" he asked menacingly. Maria nodded, a little fearfully and ripped her arm out of his grasp before hurrying towards the back room.

Once she had disappeared though the door, Isabel turned and glared at Michael.

"What?" he asked with a shrug.

"You shouldn't have done that Michael, Max was right, she did help us today and the more you scare her, the more inclined she is to actually go to the Sheriff and spill our secret." She told him then took a sip of her drink. She swallowed with a grimace then grabbed the bottle of Tabasco sauce next to her. "I think she can be trusted."

Michael looked at her in confusion. "You were the one who wanted to put fear into her remember, you wanted her afraid of your shadow, Max's shadow, my shadow. What happened to that?"

Shrugging, Isabel swirled her now Tabasco laced drink with her straw. "I got to know her a little."

*~*~*~*

Jim gave Maria saddened look and told her to take a seat, which she did. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Maria, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but…" he paused, not knowing how to break the news to her. "…Maria your father's dead. He had a stroke a few hours ago in his home and was pronounced dead when the paramedics got to him."

Maria sat there in shock. Her father was dead. She didn't exactly know how to react to that bit of information. Even though he had not been around for ten years she had still known where he was but never contacted him. If he didn't want to talk to her then she didn't want to talk to him. Now she'd never have the chance to. 

Pursing his lips together, Jim continued. "I contacted your mother. She said that she can't get away from the convention for another week but doesn't want you to stay at the house by yourself. She's worried that you might… that you might do something. I'm not sure. Is there anyone you can stay with? How about the Parkers?"

"No," Maria said in a quiet voice. "They're going away for a few days."

Nodding, Jim sighed and looked around the room. He saw that Maria's locker was open and there was a framed picture of her, Liz and Alex all posing for the shot. "What about the Whitman's?" Maria only shrugged while Jim stood. "I'll go and ring them from my car phone and see if you can stay with them until your mother gets back. Just stay here, okay?" Maria nodded mutely and he headed out the door. 

Michael watched as the Sheriff walked out to his car, tossing the trio a stern look as he passed. "She told him," he said angrily. "I knew we should have done something. She needs to be dealt with." He stood and started to walk toward the door but Isabel stood in front of him, stopping him from taking another step. 

"I'll go. If you go in there you'll only scare her more." Michael sighed and sat back in the booth while Isabel walked into the back room.

Pushing open the door slowly, she looked around and saw that Maria was sitting on the old rickety couch with her head in her hands. She appeared to be crying. Not really knowing what to do, Isabel walked over to her and sat down. "Maria?" she asked softly. "Maria, are you okay?"

Maria's head shot up and she rubbed at her eyes, ridding them of their wetness and then cursing for letting someone else see her cry, especially someone like Isabel. "I'm fine," she lied.

Isabel couldn't be fooled. "You're a bad liar Maria, tell me what happened. What did the Sheriff want?"

Tears started to once again flow down Maria's cheeks and she was powerless to stop them. "My--my father's dead," she hiccuped. "He had a--a stroke and died." She sniffed and rubbed at her temples willing the headache that was forming away. She always got a headache when she cried. 

Isabel looked at the crying girl in front of her and didn't understand why she felt the need to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around Maria and brought her into a hug. "Shhh, it'll be alright." She continued to say soothing words to try to calm her until Jim walked back into the room.

"I couldn't get a hold of the Whitman's." He said and took a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe at his sweat-covered forehead. Isabel looked between the two and asked why they needed to get in contact with Alex. "Maria's mother is out of town and doesn't want Maria to stay by herself now that this has happened. Amy can't get back from Arizona for another week."

"She can stay with me." Jim looked at Isabel in shock while Maria looked at her with hesitancy. Isabel smiled. "Come on, it'll be fun and it'll give us a chance to get to know each other better." She saw Maria's continued hesitation and sighed. "Maria, you can't stay by yourself and this seems to be your only option."

Jim scratched the back of his head. "If you don't want to do that Maria you are welcome to stay with Kyle and myself."

Shaking her head, Maria sniffed again. "No, if it's okay with Isabel's parents then I'll stay with her." 

Jim nodded and Isabel stood, taking her cell phone out of her pocket. She dialled her mother's number. "Hey Mom… yes, I'm fine… Mom you know the Deluca's, right?... Yeah her mom owns that shop… well Maria just found out that her father died and Mrs. Deluca is out of town for a week… no Mom, he didn't live with them, remember?... Yeah, they were divorced and now her Mom is gone and she doesn't want Maria to stay at her house all by herself so I was wondering… Okay I'll tell her… thanks Mom." She hung up the phone and smiled at Maria.

"My Mom said she demands that you stay with us," she said with a laugh. "So if it's okay with Liz, we can go over to your house now and get your things then go back to my place and get you all settled in."

Jim sat down next to Maria. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly.  Withdrawn, she nodded and he sighed as he stood again. "Okay, well call me if you need anything Maria, and I mean it, I'm not just the Sheriff, I'm your mother's friend and yours."

"Thank you," Maria whispered. She was still in shock over everything. Not only had her estranged father just died, but Queen Isabel, known for her iciness had just offered her a place to stay. 

Jim took that opportunity to leave, saying that he had some work at the office he needed to get done. When they were alone, Maria turned to Isabel with a look of confusion on her face. "Why are you helping me?" 

"Honestly?" Isabel asked and Maria nodded. "I'm not quite sure really. I just felt the need to. I thought that maybe having you stay at my house might give us a chance to get to know each other better. It's stupid I know--"

Mari cut her off. "No it's not stupid, I think it's a good idea. Thanks," she said with a small smile. "You know, for everything." 

As the door swung shut behind the Sheriff, Liz, Michael and Max came barrelling into the back room. Michael walked over and stood in front of Maria, making her feel very small. "What did you tell him?" he asked in a growl. 

Standing, Isabel pushed Michael away from the small blonde. "What she and the Sheriff talked about had nothing to do with us so lay off her Michael." 

Michael, not one to let things go, looked back at Maria. "So what did it have to do with?" 

"I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly, hoping that Michael would just let it go. All she wanted to do right now was go home and crawl into a ball and cry. Cry for the father she never knew and would now never know. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky.

"Well I do, what did you two have to talk about? It was about us wasn't it? You told him our secret didn't you?" he yelled. He started to feel bad when he saw Maria flinch from his tone of voice but pushed that feeling down. He couldn't afford to have some human spill their secret. 

Maria felt her blood boil as she stood up, causing Michael to take a step backwards. "You want to know what he wanted to tell me?" she ground out between clenched teeth. "He wanted to tell me that my father just died. Satisfied?" she asked, another tear dripping down her cheek.

"I'm sor--" Michael tried to apologise but Maria just pushed past him and ran into the bathroom. He slumped his shoulders and sat on the couch where Maria had been. If he had known that feeling guilty would be this bad he would never have said anything. 

Isabel glared at her 'Brother' and whacked him over the head. "You idiot Michael, could you be any more insensitive?" She gave him a disgusted look before turning to Max. "Maria's mom is out of town and can't get back so Maria's going to say with us, I already discussed it with Mom. She said it was fine." Max nodded while Liz headed towards the bathroom. 

She knocked on the door and said softly, "Maria babe?  It's me, open the door."

The door swung open slowly and Maria stood in the opening. When Liz opened her arms Maria practically flew into them. "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" 

Maria started to nod but then stopped and shook her head. "I just… what am I supposed to feel Liz? Here I am crying over a man who didn't love me enough to stick around, but I'm still sad you know. I mean he was still my father."

"You have every right to feel sad. He was your father, sure he wasn't around but that doesn't change the fact that he was your Dad. You can cry if you want to," she said into Maria's hair. 

Maria pulled out of her embrace. "Thanks Liz. I needed to hear that."

"No problem. So why are you staying with Isabel, you know you could have just asked me right?" Liz told her. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Maria was going to stay with Isabel who hadn't shown a single bit of friendliness to her since she found out their secret. 

"Well your parents are going away aren't they?" she asked.

Liz shook her head. "No they cancelled at the last minute. You can stay with us if you want to, we'd love to have you."

"No," Maria declined. "I already said I would stay with the Evans's so I can't say no now. Anyway, you were the one who said I needed to get to know them sooner or later." 

Liz nodded. She had said that hadn't she? "Okay fine, but you have to call me if you need anything okay? Even if it's 3 AM and you're in need of a girlie chat." Maria laughed and gave her friend another hug before they both headed back into the room. 

Walking over to the two girls, Isabel put her hand on Maria's shoulder. "You okay?" she asked and Maria smiled, letting her know she was. Isabel turned to Liz. "Can she have the rest of the day off? We need to go to her house and pick up some things." Liz nodded and Maria grabbed her jacket and bag. She and Isabel then headed out into the café area.

Once the two girls were out of earshot and Liz was back doing her job, Michael turned to Max. "Do you think it's a good idea having her stay with you?"

Max glared at his best friend. "Man Michael, you really are that insensitive aren't you? How can you say that after hearing what happened?"

"Look, I'm sorry her father's dead but that doesn't mean we still shouldn't be wary of her, she's a loose canon." He walked over to the small window in the back room door and watched as Maria and Isabel drove off in Maria's little red Jetta. 

"Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on her." Max assured him.

Michael sighed and turned back to face him. "Yeah well I'm going to stay a few nights anyway, just to make sure."

TBC…


	3. The start of something new

**Chapter Three _(The start of something new)_**

****

****

Alex and Maria both sat on her bed with their backs against the headboard and their legs out stretched. "Liz told me everything, are you okay?"

Maria nodded. "Yeah I'm fine, I mean I'm sad yeah, he was my father after all but I guess that's it. I don't really feel anything else anymore."

"What about his funeral? Are you going to go?" Maria shook her head. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I don't think I want to. I talked to Mom and she said that I could if I wanted to but for some reason I don't. Does that make me a bad person? Not wanting to go to my own father's funeral?"

Alex slung his arm over Maria's shoulders and she relaxed herself into his arms. "No I don't think so. He hasn't been there for you your entire life so no one would expect you to want to go to his funeral, to be honest I would have been very surprised if you did want to go. Not wanting to go doesn't make you a bad person Maria. It's how you feel and if you don't want to go, then no one is going to make you."

Maria smiled. "Thanks Alex."

"So what's staying here like? If you don't like it you can always come and stay with me. I'm sorry I couldn't be reached before but my Dad wanted some father/son bonding time, which meant no phone interruptions. He turned all the cell phones off and disconnected the house phone." Alex said with a shake of the head.

Maria laughed. "It's fine Alex, and staying here is pretty cool. Diane and Phillip seem cool and Isabel has been making me feel really welcome. Max is okay too, but I hardly talk to him because Michael is always there." 

The two were interrupted when Isabel walked into the room holding up two skirts, one red the other dark blue. She held them high so she couldn't see that Alex was also in the room. "Which one looks better?" she asked and waited. 

"The red one," Alex said after a moment. 

Isabel's eyes widened behind the skirts and she brought them down slowly. "Hi Alex, what are you doing here?" she asked and Maria could see a faint blush rise up on her cheeks. 

Smiling shyly, Alex nodded towards Maria. "Just seeing how she is. Now I have to go, my Mom wants me home for dinner." Maria hopped off the bed and gave Alex a hug. "Call me if you need anything okay?" Maria nodded and before Alex walked out the door he addressed Isabel again. "Red suits you." With that he headed out of the room telling Maria that he could find his own way out. 

Maria faced Isabel with a knowing smile and giggled. "You like Alex," she singsonged.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Isabel lied and started to walk away. It was true, she did sort of like Alex, he wasn't like any guy she had ever met before and she knew that it was exactly what she wanted but didn't think that Alex could ever like her. 

"Don't lie to me Isabel Evans," Maria said, pointing a finger at the taller blonde. "Besides, I saw the way you were looking at him with that blush," she said with a smile. "I could help you get him."

Isabel rolled her eyes. "Okay so what if I do like him… and what do you mean you could help me get him?"

"Just that, I can help you get a date with him, trust me he likes you back so it won't be that hard anyway. Leave it to me, you two will have a date by the end of the week, heck by the end of tomorrow if I have anything to do with it," Maria said matter-of-factly. 

"Really?" Maria nodded and she smiled. "Okay fine, but this stays between you and me, okay? I don't want the whole world knowing." 

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," Maria promised. Isabel stared at the smaller girl before grabbing her hand and dragging her into the room. "Isabel, what?" Maria started to say then Isabel pushed her back until she was sitting on the stool in front of Isabel's dressing tale. 

"Just shush, since you're going to help me with Alex, I want to do something for you. Now close your eyes." Maria looked at Isabel with hesitant eyes. "Just do it," Isabel demanded and Maria did so. Isabel ran her hands through Maria's hair and watched before her eyes, as it grew longer and curlier. She had wondered what Maria looked like with long hair and just knew that it would look a whole lot better than the pixie cut she had now. A moment later it was done. "Open your eyes," she commanded and Maria slowly did so. 

She then gasped at the sight that greeted her. She brought her hand up to touch her hair that was now longer and went down past her shoulders. "Oh my," she whispered. "How did you know?"

Isabel shrugged. "I didn't, I just thought it would look good, and it does.  You like it?"

"Like it? I love it," Maria squealed and jumped into Isabel's arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

Max and Michael came barging in the room slightly out of breath. They had heard a scream and thought that one of the girls was in trouble. "What? What's going on? Are you okay?" Max asked in a rush.

Maria turned to face the boys and Michael suddenly felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. He thought she was beautiful before but now… now she was breathtaking. Maria unconsciously touched her hair and blushed at the looks that Michael was giving her. Isabel glanced between the two and smirked. Maria wasn't the only one who was going to play matchmaker. 

*~*~*~*

The next day, Liz watched with a pained look on her face as Maria and Isabel entered the Crashdown laughing. Alex noticed this and asked her what was wrong. "I know it's selfish," she began. "But I kind of wish that Isabel had never offered Maria a place to stay.  Now it seems as though the two are becoming great friends and… and… I feel left out."

"Liz, Maria would never stop being your best friend, you know her and she would never do that. All she's doing is making a new friend." Alex told her and took a sip of his drink. 

She sighed. "I know it's just, I don't want to lose her as a friend."

Alex smiled and grabbed her hand. "You won't Liz, and anyway, you still have me, or have we forgotten?" he said jokingly and Liz laughed.

"What's going on here?" Maria asked as she joined her two best friends in the whole world. She gave Liz a hug. "I can work today if you want me to babe."

Liz shook her head. "No way Maria, my dad gave you the week off. Absolutely no working for you," she said with a smile.

"Fine, so do you two want to join me and Isabel for lunch?" Maria asked and motioned towards the booth that Isabel had claimed. 

"I can't," Liz said and grabbed her order pad. "Unlike you I actually do have to work, but I'll call you later?" Maria nodded and Liz grinned then headed over to the man who was trying to gain her attention. 

Maria looked expectedly at Alex. "What about you?" She hoped he would say yes so she could start her plans to get him and Isabel together. She sighed in relief when he nodded and stood. The two walked over to the table and sat down. Maris sat next to Isabel while Alex sat across from them. They all sat in silence, no one knowing what to say in the awkward moment until Maria spoke. "You know what? I just remembered that I had something to do, so I'll go and do it and you two have lunch. Isabel I'll see you later, bye Alex."

Without giving the two any time to comment, Maria ran out of the Crashdown and then into the ally, going back into the Crashdown though the back door. She wanted to be there to watch her plan to get the two together unfold. 

Isabel smiled at Alex who chuckled. "You do know what she's trying to do right?" Isabel laughed and nodded. Alex then moved to get out of the booth. "Umm, I think that I'll just go, I have some things to do for my Dad." 

Isabel nodded solemnly and looked at the table in disappointment. So he didn't like her after all. 

Alex was about to walk away when he thought better of it and turned back around. "Do you want to… I don't know, go out with me tonight? Like as in a date? It's okay if you don't want to, I mean--" He stopped talking when he saw her nod slowly.

"I'd love to go out with you Alex," she said with a smile she didn't think could get any bigger. 

Alex almost jumped for joy right then and there but concealed it. "Great, great so I'll pick you up around 7?" She nodded and he said bye then left. When he had gotten into his car, Maria skipped back into the café and sat back in the seat he had vacated. 

Isabel glared at her. "How could you do that?" she asked but couldn't stop the smile from gracing her features so the glare really didn't have the effect it should have.

Maria shrugged. "Hey it was probably a good thing I left by the look on your face. So how'd it go?" she asked giddily. 

Isabel let out a girly giggle feeling really excited. "We have a date, for tonight actually." She looked at her watch then looked at Maria in horror. "Oh my god, Maria we only have 5 hours until he picks me up." She grabbed Maria's hand and pulled her out of the booth. "We have to get home and pick out what I'm going to wear."

*~*~*~*

Maria ducked from the onslaught of flying clothes. Isabel was rifling through her closet and throwing things out left, right and centre. "What am I going to wear?" She heard Isabel ask then watched another article of clothing come flying out. By now Isabel's room looked like a disaster area. "What about this?" she asked, coming out and holding up a black boob-tube dress. 

Scrunching her nose in distaste, Maria stood. "No I don't think so, let me see what you have," she said pushing Isabel out of the way. She started to sift through the dresses on the hangers, going through them one by one. "No, no, no, no, hell no," she said, holding up a green dress. "Why did you buy this?" she asked in disgust.

Isabel grimaced as she took the offending dress off Maria. It was lime green with ruffles on the hem and collar. "I think it was a bridesmaids dress for my aunts wedding," she said, throwing on the bed. 

"I feel sorry for you," Maria said, going back into the closet. "No, no, no, no, no…wait…no, no, no, no, yes!" she exclaimed holding out the perfect dress. It was made out of red satin like material that went to mid shin with a slit up the left leg and spaghetti straps. "Alex will die when he sees you wearing this."

Isabel took the dress off her and realised she had never worn it before. "You think?"

Maria nodded. "Definitely, he did say that red suited you." Isabel smiled and hung the dress on the hook on the back of her door. "Now that we have the dress, we have to decide what shoes and purse will go with it. 

As Maria was going through Isabel's wide selection of footwear, Isabel sat on her bed and started to feel nervous. "Maybe I should cancel," she suddenly announced. 

Stopping what she was doing, Maria poked her head out of the closet. "Why on earth would you want to do that?" she asked and headed over to the bed, sitting beside Isabel.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, I mean I don't want to but it's probably not a good idea for Alex to get involved with me when he can't even get to know the real me."

Maria sighed. "Why can't you just tell him about you? Why can't you tell your parents about who you are?"

"Max, Michael and I all made a pact when we were younger not to let anyone in, well Max kind of broke it but it still stands. We can't let anyone else in. It's too dangerous. That and well… I guess I'm afraid, I'm afraid of the rejection that will follow if I tell Alex or my parents. Look how you acted when you found out."

Nodding, Maria bit her lip. "Admittedly I could have gone about it another way but I didn't really know you when I found out. Your parents do know you and they love you and Alex likes you. They'd never reject you Isabel."

"I want to tell them, I do, it's just that I can't, not now anyway. Not until we know that everything is okay, that it's safe enough to let more people in," Isabel said while playing with the hem of her shirt.

Maria smiled. "I understand, but don't cancel on Alex, he's a great guy and even if he doesn't ever find out about you, he's still great boyfriend material." 

Isabel laughed and nodded. "Yeah he is isn't he?" She shook her head clear of all the reasons not to go out with him and concentrated on all the reasons to go out with him instead. She walked over to her dressing table and picked up two different shades of lipstick. "Which matches the dress better?"

TBC…

_AN: Thank you all so much for your kind reviews, I really appreciate it, it means a lot to me. I'm glad that you are all enjoying the story and the friendship between the two girls as well as the Candy and Stargazer moments. There will be plenty of both in the next chapter. -Sarah_


	4. Kissing, kissing and more kissing

**Chapter Four _(Kissing, kissing and more kissing)_**

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****

At 7 pm that night, Max opened the front door and was shocked when a bunch of flowers were thrust into his face. He pushed them away to see Alex standing there looking nervous. "Alex I'm flattered, really I am but I like girls, sorry man," he said, then smiled when Alex's eyes widened.

Tugging at his collar, Alex stepped inside the house. "No, I was wondering if Isabel was ready. We have a date."

Max furrowed his brows in confusion. Isabel had a date with Alex? "I'm not sure, I'll just check." Without moving, Max yelled her name out down the hall. A few seconds later, Maria walked out followed by Isabel. 

Alex almost fainted at the sight of her. She was wearing a red dress that showed off all her gorgeous curves, with a black purse and shoes. Her hair was down and curled and her make up was natural but with a deep red lipstick to add to the whole effect. She was stunning.

Blushing at the way he was staring at her, Isabel smiled and walked towards him. He was dressed in a nice white dress shirt with black slacks and his hair was gelled to create the spiked effect. She'd never seen him look so handsome. "Shall we leave?"

Nodding, Alex held his elbow out for her to take, which she did. "This way m'lady." He said as they walked to his mother's car. 

Maria smiled as she watched Alex open the car door for her. The two looked perfect for each other. She shut the door and saw Max standing there, still looking confused. "What?" she asked.

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Isabel dating Alex. Especially since he's been poking about in our business lately." Max said with a frown. 

"Look Max," Maria said, walking into the kitchen. "Alex is a great guy and well honestly, I think that it's a great idea for the two to date. Isabel needs to go out more and she certainly needs a life, a normal life, something that she doesn't have right now." She took a seat at the table and Max sat next to her. "Alex is a good guy and he can be trusted. He really likes your sister."

Max nodded and started to play with the tablecloth. "I've never stopped her from having a life," he said with a sigh.

Maria shook her head. "No you haven't, but she's still missing out on so much Max. Look, Isabel is a big girl who can take care of herself… better than most teenage girls out there, so just lay off her a little okay? Let her live her own life."

"You're right," Max nodded. "I just want her to be careful, she's my sister and I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her."

"Nothing will happen, trust me." She glanced at Max and raised an eyebrow. "You know," she said slowly. "Isabel isn't the only one missing out on the pleasures of life, you are too."

His forehead creased in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, all you seem to do is want to protect people, help people and you're not thinking of yourself. You're not thinking about what you want. Why haven't you asked out Liz yet?" Maria asked.

Max shrugged. "It's too dangerous, we can't get involved, I just can't get involved with anyone right now."

"Why?"

Sitting there, Max tried to come up with an answer to that simple question but found that he couldn't. He looked at Maria. "I don't know." Smiling, he suddenly stood as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I have to go and talk to someone."

As he stood, Maria laughed. "Go get her Max, but one thing first." Max paused. "You hurt her and I'll hurt you, got me?" Max gave a curt nod before running out of the kitchen at breakneck speed. 

She stood and headed for the living room, grabbing the remote as she passed the corner coffee table. So far tonight she had sorted out both Isabel's and Max's love life. Now she had nothing to do, no one to talk to. She was alone and that thought made her sad. Everyone had a love life except her. She was alone. As she came across 'Charmed' on the TV, she heard a knock at the door and groaned before getting up to answer it. She opened the door and was shocked to see Michael standing there. 

Michael pushed her out of the way and barged into the house, not really caring that she was currently glaring at him for all she was worth. "Where is everyone? Where's Max?"

Maria sighed and stood behind him. "Diane and Phillip are out to dinner with some friends, Isabel is on her date with Alex and Max just went to find Liz."

"Figures," Michael mumbled as he picked up the remote that Maria had haphazardly thrown onto the sofa and took a seat. 

Raising her eyebrows in shock and disbelief, Maria stood in front of him, blocking his view from the TV. "You can leave now."

Michael cocked his head to the side so he could see past her. It wasn't working. "Look it's fine, I'm always here." He nudged her out of his way with his foot then clicked the remote to another channel. 

Maria plopped herself down next to him and with a huff said, "So I've noticed."

*~*~*~*

They both smiled at each other as they walked out of the cinema holding hands. They had decided… well, Isabel had decided on seeing 'Pirates of the Caribbean' but Alex had said he wanted to see that too. She smiled as she realized he only did it for her.  The streets of Roswell seemed busy that night, and Alex could hear music coming from somewhere in the Park.

"Do you want to go and check it out?" he asked her. Isabel nodded and they headed in the direction it was coming from. They walked on the path that led them into the centre of the park where they could see a classical band playing in one of the gazebos placed around the park. Alex noticed that a few couples were dancing and turned to Isabel. "May I have this dance?"

"Sure," she said and turned in his arms. Alex placed a hand on her waist and held his other hand in the air for her to take. As they danced to the soft romantic music, Isabel laid her head on his shoulder and sighed in content. "I've had a terrific night," she said and brought her head back up to look him in the eyes. "Thank you."

Flushing red, Alex smiled shyly then looked away from her piercing hazel eyes. "Why did you say yes, to going out with me I mean? You could have any guy you wanted, so why me?" He didn't know why he asked that but for some reason, he really needed to know the answer. He needed to know if he was being taken for a ride.

Isabel gave a small shrug and played with the collar of his shirt. "I like you Alex, you're not like any other guy I've met, and that's exactly what I've been looking for. You are exactly what I've been looking for." 

Alex grinned and looked into her eyes before moving his face closer towards hers. As their faces inched closer, Isabel's eyes fluttered closed and their lips met in a brief kiss. Alex pulled back, unsure if this was what she wanted. He didn't want to pressure her. He then was a little surprised when Isabel grabbed his face and pulled him into a passionate kiss but quickly snapped himself out of it and wholeheartedly kissed her back.

Isabel then pulled back with a shy but happy smile on her face. Laying her head back on his shoulder, the two continued to dance.

*~*~*~*

"Would you give me that damn remote?" Maria yelled. If she had to watch another second of hockey she'd go absolutely nuts. She grabbed the remote out of his unsuspecting hands and changed the channel back to 'Charmed'. 

For the past hour, the two had been fighting over who was watching what. Michael wanted to see the hockey game and Maria wanted to watch her bewitching drama. One minute Michael had the remote, then the next Maria had it.

Michael rolled his eyes and snatched the remote back out of her hands, putting it back on the game. He glared at her when it became evident that he had missed a point-scoring goal. "Now look what happened," he said angrily and swatted her hands out of the way when she tried to take it back from him. "We are watching hockey and that is final."

"Final?" Maria indignantly shouted. "Michael you don't even live here, go watch hockey at your place and give me the damn remote. I was here first and I want to watch 'Charmed'."

"My TV is not working and you don't technically live here either, and anyway, 'Charmed' is a crap show. Who wants to watch a bunch of bad, admittedly hot, actresses try to cast spells that never even work right?" he asked and held the remote away from her when she tried once more to gain control of it.

Maria started to get angry. Who did he think he was barging in there and taking command of what they watched? She leaned over his body and grabbed the remote, trying to pry it out of his hands. Michael however, wouldn't let go and the two started a tug-of-war match over it. Michael pushed at her shoulder, hoping that she'd fall on the floor and let the thing go but did she? No, instead she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down with her. 

She landed on the floor with a thud then groaned when Michael landed on top of her. "Get off me," she said, pushing him away. Michael lifted himself up using his hands and noticed that they were now in a very compromising position. He was straddling her waist and she was unconsciously holding onto his. He looked into her eyes and saw that the green of them darkened. When she licked her lips, he couldn't take it anymore. 

Without warning, he swooped down and captured her lips in a fiery, demanding kiss. Maria brought her hands up to push him away but found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and opening her mouth to kiss him back just as passionately as he was kissing her.

*~*~*~*

"Aren't they beautiful?" Max asked. Taking Maria's advice, he had gone straight over to Liz's and the two were now watching the stars from her balcony.

Liz nodded. "Yeah they are," she said with a smile. She then frowned and faced him. "Max, what are you doing here?"

Summoning up the courage, Max squared his shoulders and let out a breath. "Would you… I mean do you think… what I guess I'm trying to say is…" he trailed off. He hadn't known that asking out the girl you liked was going to be this hard.

Liz smiled at his shyness and decided to take pity on him and help him out. "I'd love to go out with you Max."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Max gave a small chuckle and nodded. "Great." The two then smiled at each other before turning back and looking at the stars.

*~*~*~*

"Michael, oh Michael," Maria moaned when he kissed and nipped at her neck. The sensations he was making her feel made her knees go weak. Somewhere along the way they had managed to move to the couch and were now engaged in a serious make-out session. She was lying on her back with her legs wrapped around him as he covered her body with his. 

Maria brought his head up and kissed him hungrily, sucking his tongue into her mouth and massaging it with hers. She started to rock up against his hips and he broke away from the kiss. "G-od Maria," he moaned back and grabbed hold of her thigh. His other hand trailed down her cheek to rest on her breast and he started to knead it. Maria let out a strangled moan of pleasure and that's when they heard someone gasp.

The two broke apart fast, stood and turned to face Isabel who had a secret smile on her face. "Looks like I didn't need to plan to get you two together after all." 

Michael started to shake his head. "Oh we're not… I mean we aren't… you got it all wrong," he said, followed by a forced laugh. 

"Yeah we're not… you know… it wasn't what it looked like," Maria said, running her hands through her now tangled hair. 

Isabel nodded her head condescendingly. "Sure it wasn't," she said grinning. 

"I'm going to go," Michael said and rushed past the two girls. 

As he slipped out the door, Isabel yelled, "Don't leave on my account." She laughed when the front door slammed shut. 

Maria headed for the kitchen. "So how was your date?" she asked casually, trying to avert the subject. 

Isabel shook her head and waggled her finger. "Oh no missy, don't even try to escape, you are going to tell me what happened here." 

"What do you mean?" Maria said, feigning innocence. 

"I mean you, Michael, serious make-out session on the couch," Isabel said waving her hands about to accentuate her point. She walked over to the fridge and pulled out the juice. 

Maria went over to the cabinet and grabbed two glasses, putting them in front of Isabel on the counter. "Oh that." 

Isabel laughed. "Yes that, now spill," she said in a demanding tone. 

Maria gave a non-committal shrug and held the glass up to her lips. "It was nothing, just some kissing and a huge, momentary lapse in sanity," she said, taking a sip then remembering what Isabel had said when she found them. "And what did you mean you won't have to plan to get us together?" 

"I saw the way you two were looking at each other when I changed your hair. You like him and he likes you so I had planned to get you two together, but now it seems that you're doing that all on your own." 

Maria shook her head but didn't bother denying that she liked Michael. She did, she could admit it, but still, she wasn't completely sure that Michael liked her back. Watching Isabel's gaze cloud over as she slipped back into thoughts about her date, she decided to seize the opportunity to change the topic. "Really, how was your date?"

Isabel gave a dreamy sigh. "It was amazing, we went to dinner then to the movies, I got to pick, then Alex took me to the park where some band was playing and we danced all night. It could not have been more perfect. We're going out tomorrow night as well."

Laughing at the wistful look Isabel had on her face, Maria bit the inside of her cheek. "Is he a good kisser?"

Isabel nodded then stopped and lightly hit Maria on the arm. "I'm going to bed," she announced.

"Way to weasel out of the details, Iz." 

*~*~*~*

Later that night, after Max returned from Liz's, Michael crawled through Max's window. "I kissed Maria," he blurted out. "Now I feel… weird."

Max laughed. "It's called being in love Michael."

Michael looked aghast at that comment. "No, no way. I don't love Maria. Nope, not love, definitely not love. No way," he denied, but once again the voice in his head screamed that he was a liar. 

"Whatever Michael, fine you like her then, just ask her out already. You know you want to anyway," Max said turning down is bed. "You staying for the night?" Michael nodded and Max threw a pillow and sleeping bag at him.

"Ask her out? No I can't do that, I don't do dates," Michael said shaking his head.

Max smiled at his clueless friend and took off his shirt before crawling into bed. "Well you do now my friend. If you want Maria, then you do dates." He switched off the light. "Night."

Michael unrolled the sleeping bag and lay on top of it. "This liking someone thing sucks."

TBC…

_For those who voiced their concerns on some of the aspects of this fic this is what I have to say. I write the way I want to, I write how I see the show and it's characters and most importantly, I write for me. I know that in this fic that some of the characters are out of character and well, sorry to say but that is what you get when you have a slightly AU fic. The reason Maria stayed with Isabel and not Liz was clearly stated in not only the chapter before this one, but also the very first chapter. Liz's parents were going away and Maria knew she couldn't stay with them because of that reason. When she found out that Liz's parents were not going away, she had already told Isabel she would stay with her and I don't know about you, but to me, if she had turned around and told Isabel that she was going to stay with Liz instead, that would be considered very rude. That and the point of the whole fic were to establish a better friendship between Maria and Isabel. _

_Another thing, yes it is evident in most of my fics that I am not a big fan of Liz's character, however I have no intention of making Liz anything more than a concerned friend in this fic, so it is not always a good thing to judge before you read. Just because I generally write her as a bad, bitter character, doesn't mean that was my intention for this fic. Her character is only minor as this is a Candy/Stargazer fic. I stated no other therefore, even though I am, I should not have to justify the way I write or feel about a character. If you do not like the way I portray a character, simply do not read. I am a Candy writer, not a Dreamer or a Liz writer. Like I said, I write the way I want to, I write how I see the show and it's characters and most importantly, I write for me. If you do not accept that, then don't read my fictions, simple as that. I can accept constructive criticism but when it starts to become mean, I have to draw the line. I have my opinions and you have yours. I respect yours so please do the same for me. I'm not trying to be offensive but please, you know the saying, if you have nothing nice to say…_

_For those who actually like what I have done with my writing and characters, thank you for all your kind words, it means a lot to me that you understand what I am trying to convey through this fic. I'm sorry for the rant but I had to get it off my chest. I hope you liked the Candy and Stargazer action and expect more in the next and final chapter. I want to send a special thanks to **Neo**, **Dark-moon-angel**,** treevamp**,** katydidit**, **Sam** and** Em**, who took the time to review this fic. -Sarah_


	5. Late night questions

**Chapter Five _(Late night questions)_**

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Michael tossed and turned in the sleeping bag, for some reason he couldn't sleep so he decided to go and get a drink. As he headed for the kitchen he could hear someone rustling around in there and as he inched closer he could see Maria, standing at the bench in the same slip he had seen her in that first morning. He could feel himself getting aroused at the site of her and quietly groaned. He made a move to head back to Max's room when Maria spoke.

"I know you're there so you might as well come in." She smiled when she saw Michael enter then made a mental note to buy herself a robe of some sort. 

Michael walked over to the fridge, opened it and took out a bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap and took a huge gulp. He wiped at his chin where some water had spilled and rested his body on the bench next to her. Maria watched mesmerized at the way he licked his lips and shivered when his arm came in contact with hers. She moved over to the sink and placed her glass in it. "Why did you kiss me?" she asked after a moment of silence.

He didn't know what to say, how to answer, so he asked her something back, hoping to throw her off track. "Why did you kiss me back?" Maria shrugged and the two stood there once again surrounded in silence. The only sound in the kitchen was a low humming coming from the fridge. Michael licked his suddenly dry lips and scratched the back of his head. It was now or never. "Do you maybe, want to go out with me tomorrow night?"

"As in a date?" Maria asked, a hint of a smile forming on her face. "Sure, I'd really like that." 

Michael nodded and with a smile, turned to head back to Max's room when he thought better of it and whipped around.  Placing his hand on Maria's waist, he pulled her body to his. He kissed her hard and fast then pulled away slightly before Maria even knew what was happening. His lips were still touching hers as he spoke in a whisper. "I'll pick you up at 7."

Maria nodded, a little bewildered, and watched as Michael walked off with a little spring in his step. She stood there and thought about what had just happened then grinned. She had a date with Michael Guerin. With that one thought in her head, she walked back to her room with a smile on her face.

*~*~*~*

The next night, Maria was sitting at her dressing table putting the finishing touches of her make-up on. She had 20 minutes until Michael arrived and she was running late. "Isabel, we have to hurry," she said as she picked up the curling iron.

Isabel grabbed the iron off her and waved her fingers. "My way will be a lot faster." Maria smiled in thanks and Isabel started to run her fingers through Maria's slightly damp hair. 

"Hey Isabel your mom—Oh my god," Alex said, completely frozen by the door. Did he just see what he thought he did; did Isabel just make Maria's hair curly by touching it. 

Both girls turned to look at Alex in shock. Maria jumped out of her seat and ran over to the hyperventilating Alex. "Alex calm down, just come and sit down," she said, leading him towards the bed. "Alex, are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" he almost yelled. "Am I okay? No, I am not okay. I just saw my girlfriend make your hair curly using her what? Powers? Jesus, what are you?" he asked, facing Isabel who was looking scared. "I want the truth and I want it now."

Isabel glanced at Maria who nodded before taking a seat next to Alex on the bed. She tried not to let the fact that he moved out of the way a bit affect her but it did. She looked at the ground sadly and just knew that he would no longer want to be with her once she had told him. "Alex I'm…" she took a deep breath. "I'm an alien. Me, Max and Michael were all in the '47 crash. I know it's hard to believe but it's true. We hibernated in these pods for 50 years and came out in 1989 looking like six-year-olds. What you just saw was me using one of my many powers."

Before Alex could say anything, Max interrupted them. "Maria, Michael is here." 

Maria looked between the two on the bed. "Isabel, are you going to be okay here?" 

Isabel nodded then gave Maria a hug. "I'll be fine, and I want details of your date when you get back." Maria laughed and headed out the door while Isabel faced Alex who had suddenly gone pale.

*~*~*~*

Michael's breath caught in his throat when he saw Maria walk down the hall. She was wearing a tight crème sleeveless turtleneck shirt with tight bootleg black pants. Her hair was up in pins with a few tendrils framing her face. "You look beautiful," he said taking her hand.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she said as she shut the front door. He was wearing a black dress shirt with black slacks. It really looked like he had made the effort to dress up and Maria was speechless, the only thing he had not done was comb his hair, but Maria could live with it. She loved the way his soft spikes felt when she ran her hands through his hair. 

Michael led them over to the jeep that Max had let him borrow for the night. "So where are we going?" Maria asked once she was settled in.

Smiling, Michael turned on the ignition. "It's a surprise."

*~*~*~*

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Alex suddenly asked. Okay so he could handle that his girlfriend was a creature from outer space, but he couldn't handle being lied to. 

Isabel sighed and tried to push back her tears. "I was scared," she admitted. "I thought that if I told you, you'd reject me and look at me differently, and I was right."

Shaking his head, Alex took a hold of one of her hands. "Isabel no, look, you may be a little different from other teenage girls but to me you are the same Isabel Evans that I have had a crush on for—for god only knows how long." 

Isabel smiled and looked at him. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before," she whispered.

Alex shook his head and brought one hand up to caress the side of her face. "Don't worry about it, just no more lies okay?" 

Nodding, the two shared a light, gentle kiss. Isabel then pulled back with a hint of a smile on her face. "So I'm your girlfriend huh?"

*~*~*~*

Michael came to a stop at Kumar's Hill. At night the view was spectacular as you could see the landscape of Roswell and all it's lights. Using his powers, he walked over to a near by tree and made a few of the leaves glow, creating a romantic, dull light. He then walked over to the back of the Jeep and pulled out a blanket and a basket, walking back over to the tree with Maria in tow. He laid down the blanket and placed the basket on top.

"I know it's not much but--"

Maria cut him off with a chaste kiss. "It's perfect."

The two sat and dined on hamburgers and fires provided by the Crashdown. Maria smiled, knowing that Michael obviously didn't go on to many dates but loved that he tried for her. It was sweet and she couldn't have wanted more from a first date. When they had finished eating, Maria wiped at her mouth with her napkin. "You never did answer my question. Why did you kiss me?"

Michael smirked. "You never answered mine either."

"Fine," Maria said rolling her eyes. "If you answer mine then I'll answer yours. Deal?" 

Michael nodded. "I kissed you because I wanted to. Because ever since that night at the Crash festival, when I laid my hand on your chest, I've… I've felt this sort of connection I guess you could say, and then when I was on top of you last night, the urge to kiss you was so great and I couldn't stop myself, I didn't want to stop myself."

"I felt the same," Maria admitted. "That night of the festival when you touched me, I felt that connection, that spark that there was something more between us, and I kissed you back because I wanted to. Because I wanted you."

She raised a hand and caressed the side of his face then brought his face to hers for a slow, languid kiss. When they pulled apart she looked into his eyes. "Thank you for tonight Michael, it was perfect."

Michael flushed bright red and shrugged. "Thanks for…you know, accepting." 

She smiled then bit her lip, almost afraid to ask her next question. "Is this only going to be one night?"

Michael tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear then nuzzled her nose with his. "I hope not." 

*~*~*~*

**_2 months later_**

Michael sat on the couch along with Max and Alex as they all watched Detroit play Chicago in hockey. Michael's view was suddenly blocked when his girlfriend of the past two months stood right in front of him. 

"Michael, are you going to get off your butt and help or what?" Maria asked with her hands on her hips. "This is, after all, your apartment."

Shaking his head no, he watched as both Liz and Isabel walked out of his bathroom looking exhausted. Over the past two months things had changed considerably; they had found a bit more information about their home thanks to Maria going with him to Marathon. He smiled every time he thought about what they had shared in that hotel room, mental and physical. Then after another run in with Hank, he got emancipated, again with the help of his pixie girlfriend, and was now sitting in his almost clean, new apartment that the courts had found for him. The group had also grown closer over that time. Alex had grown closer to the guys and they were now all great friends and Isabel had also opened up to Liz. The three girls were almost inseparable.

Michael grabbed Maria around the waist and sat her down on his lap. "No one asked you to clean my apartment."

Poking him in the chest with her finger, Maria raised her eyebrows. "Look Guerin, if you want me to even consider coming over here anymore then you will live in a clean apartment. That also means keeping it clean, you got me?"

Michael groaned and Maria kissed his cheek then hopped off and grabbed Isabel's hand to drag her back off into the dreaded bathroom. 

As she picked up the scrubbing brush, Isabel turned to Maria. "Three months ago did you ever think you'd be here?"

"What?" Maria asked. "Cleaning Michael's bathroom?"

Isabel laughed and shook her head. "No I mean here, as in being friends with me or having Michael as a boyfriend, I certainly never thought I'd be Alex Whitman's girlfriend or Maria Deluca's best friend that's for sure."

Maria thought about it then shook her head. "No, but I'm glad that we are here."

Isabel smiled then dunked her brush into the bucket of soapy water. "Me too." 

Managing to tear herself away from Max, Liz entered the bathroom and grabbed a cloth. "I don't even want to know how the old tenants even thought about using a bathroom like this." Isabel and Maria nodded in agreement and the three girls got back to their cleaning, all wondering how they were going to get the boys back for not helping them.

THE END

_AN: I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed the story. I can't believe it's finally over so thank you. I just want to thank **Trude**, **treevamp**, **Panda**, **Sam**, **Katydidit** and **Dark-moon-Angel** for your reviews on the last chapter and thanks to **Em** who reviewed on others. I also want to send out a special thanks to **Neo** who has reviewed since the beginning. _

_Oh and another note, my rant in the chapter before was in no way connected with any of you so don't worry. __J I received an email/review from someone else whom I found offensive and had to say my peace. _

_Thank you for understanding and I hope that you continue to enjoy my future fictions. -Sarah_


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